welder19 Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 (edited) I have just been given a new anvil, well not actually new but you know what I mean. It's a Trenton but it doesn't have a weight on it, not that I can tell any way but I thought maybe someone could answer a couple questions about it. 1- on the side under the name there is some words in a circle about the size of a silver dollar but I can't make out what it says, anyone know? 2- on the front of the foot it has some letters and #'s M296 on the left and A38016 on the right, anyone know about those? All and all it is in really great condition, the face is perfect and the edges are pretty good, the only spot with any real damage is the flat area between the face and horn (I can't remember what that area is called). I have some pic's that I'm going to try posting, hopefully I'll get it the first time. Thanks welder19 Edited June 19, 2008 by welder19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welder19 Posted June 19, 2008 Author Share Posted June 19, 2008 Here is the face and the damaged area I mentioned. welder19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nett Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 What damage? That anvil is still being broken it. Remember, the step is cast iron and will chip horrible so don't use it for cutting. The face looks as fine as my Fisher, but yours looks heavier that mine. I'm envious. Cool beans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 It's called the table or step and is frequently used for chisel cutting. I made a saddle for mine so as not to damage the anvil or sets. I will use the angle between step and face to upset into if it's a small enough piece. The numbers are (I believe) serial #s. Use a bathroom scale to determine it's actual weight. Nice score, truly excellent condition, better than my Trenton by a length. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 there is no cast iron involved with making a trenton anvil! Unlike a Fisher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nett Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Ouch! I was thinking Vulcan, the other cast iron anvil. The fact that Fisher anvils were made in Trenton, New Jersey trips me up every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chyancarrek Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Ok, this is going too far - even for me . . . A guy posts a picture of an outstanding anvil and what do I do? I'm eyeballing what looks to be a riding mower trans-axle and thinking . . . "ohh, what I could do with that!" man,I gotta get me some help . . . Nice score on the anvil by the way - it's in excellent shape! It looks similar in size to my 200 lb Trenton but Frosty's right - pop it on a scale to be sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Nice anvil. Trentons usually have the weight stamped on the left front foot and the serial number on the right front (as you are looking towards the horn). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Dawg!!! Your friend got a nother one?!? Excellent score and you really NEED to make that friend something special in return. If I'm not mistaking the circle with the writing says "solid wrought iron" but I could be wrong....have been before anyway.... Good for you, and I'm not jealous but proud you got it and will use it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Ok, this is going too far - even for me . . . A guy posts a picture of an outstanding anvil and what do I do? I'm eyeballing what looks to be a riding mower trans-axle and thinking . . . "ohh, what I could do with that!" man,I gotta get me some help . . . Nice score on the anvil by the way - it's in excellent shape! It looks similar in size to my 200 lb Trenton but Frosty's right - pop it on a scale to be sure. Help? You can't find a transaxle for yourself? There's lots of things a transaxle is good for though if you actually need help thinking something up let me know. And HAH! My Trenton is bigger than your's is! 202 lbs. :cool: Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 I have an anvil I believe is a trenton but through previous abuse all markings have been obscured; it's around 410# and not the largest anvil in the shop---the 515# Fisher is the main shop anvil...Anvil Envy is a terrible thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Oh SURE ruin a good gloat! Meany! Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welder19 Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 Nice anvil. Trentons usually have the weight stamped on the left front foot and the serial number on the right front (as you are looking towards the horn). So if that is the case then the 296 is the weight? I don't know, since I hurt my back I can't even try to lift it and get a guess, I'll try and get a scale to weigh it. Thanks guys, I did get really lucky with this one, I got it from a friend who salvaged it back in the early 70's in Camden out of a scrap yard. He was running scrap up there and on one of his trips he happend to spot it sitting way up on a pile of scrap about 30-40' up, so he walked over the the old guy sitting in the crane and says, " hey buddy, you think if I give you $5 could get that anvil off the top of that pile?" and the old guy looks up at the top of the pile and says, " shoot....for five bucks I'd get that anvil from the bottom of that pile", so that is how he got it. He was never a black smith nor did he ever even use it except to hammer on something once in a while but would never part with it and he's had a lot of people offer him money for it over the years and then out of the blue he just gave it to me the other day, I do lot for him but I never expected him to give it to me. welder19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYBOY Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 If you want to see used look at my old bruiser:p you got a nice anvil there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 (edited) Frosty, ruining the gloat would be to mention that the 515# Fisher in *mint* condition cost me a whopping US$350 about 10 years ago. It's the poster child for my method of finding anvils---talking with *everyone*. Turned out to be within 5 miles of my house in the old part of the City of Columbus OH---who would have thunk it? Actually if you have only 1 anvil 150# is a good size as it can be moved when needed. If you do a lot of demo's 100# would be better. As a "shop anvil" my Fisher has been moved about 3-4 times in those ten years and one time of that was bringing it home and another was the OH to NM and into the new shop move. It will probably stay put with the gasser and the Trenton? will move out to the coal forge shop when it's done. My 93# arm&hammer demo anvil probably has more hours of my pounding on it as when I'm at a demo I get to forge all day every day and in my hobby shop there is always other things I should be doing. I like demos and try to do a bunch of them! Edited June 20, 2008 by ThomasPowers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I'd like to be able to gloat but I passed on my chance to do that about 15 years ago or so. The owner of the Seward Machine Shop had passed away and the contents were going on the auction block. We were doing a job on the Resurrection River, the same job as my infamous Resurrection River field expedient smithy in fact. I found out about the upcoming auction and discovered that it was the last option, things could be bought in advance. I met the guy in charge and we toured the shop. It was a home built line shop with machinery dating from the late 19th cent to about 1970. (Maybe) I was primarily interested in the smithing tools. I bought everything but the remaining anvil, a 1,200lb monster. I lived in a mobile home in a trailer court and barely had room for the stuff I already had. Besides I had a near perfect anvil already. Still kicking myself over that one. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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